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Somatic cell count and reduction in antibiotic use in dairy cows by dietary supplementation with trace elements and vitamins given as a ruminal bolus system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

R.G. Hemingway ,
J.J. Parkins ,
N.S. Ritchie  and
D.J. Taylor
R.G. Hemingway
Affiliation:
Glasgow University Veterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH, United Kingdom
J.J. Parkins
Affiliation:
Glasgow University Veterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH, United Kingdom
N.S. Ritchie
Affiliation:
Glasgow University Veterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH, United Kingdom
D.J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Glasgow University Veterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH, United Kingdom
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Extract

Many references (review, Hemingway, 2000) indicate that giving supplementary dietary selenium (Se) and vitamin E during the dry period in amounts greater than accepted nutritional requirements can decrease the incidence, duration and severity of high somatic cell counts (SCC) and mastitis in dairy cows. Low dietary Se intakes and plasma Se concentrations are more frequent than those for vitamin E. As one example, Erskine et al. (1987) investigated two groups each of 16 herds each having either > 700 x 103 SCC /ml (High) or < 150 x 103 SCC /ml (Low). Mean contrasting plasma concentrations (μg /ml) were respectively 0.074 and 0.138 (P < 0.01) for Se with 4.2 and 4.8 (NS, adequate) for vitamin E. Supplementary dietary Se and vitamin E were given more frequently to the Low SCC herds. The present experiment investigated the effect of two multi-trace element/vitamin boluses (‘All-Trace’, Agrimin Ltd. DN20 0SP) which, inter alia, release 2 mg Se and 9 i.u. vitamin E /day giving a significant increase in glutathione peroxidase activity over an 8-month period (Allan et al., 1993).

Type
Poster Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2000 , 2000 , pp. 87
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2000

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References

Allan, C.L., Hemingway, R.G. and Parkins, J.J. 1993. Improved reproductive performance in cattle dosed with trace element/vitamin boluses. The Veterinary Record 132: 463–464.Google Scholar
Erskine, R.J., Eberhart, R.J., Hutchinson, L.J. and Scholz, R.W. 1987. Blood selenium concentrations and glutathione peroxidase activities in dairy herds with high and low cell counts. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 190: 1417–1421.Google Scholar
Hemingway, R.G. 2000. The influences of dietary selenium and vitamin E intakes on milk somatic cell counts and mastitis in cows; a review. Veterinary Research Communications (in the press).Google Scholar